Why did German tanks have armor skirts?
Many World War II-era German tanks used armoured skirts (Schürzen) to make their thinner side-armour more resistant to anti-tank rifles. Contrary to popular belief the German Schürzen were designed against kinetic (AP, APBC, APCBC) projectiles.
Who invented composite armor?
the British
The most common type of composite armour today is Chobham armour, first developed and used by the British in the experimental FV 4211 tank, which was based on Chieftain tank components.
What is spaced armor in tanks?
Spaced armor is essentially multiple defensive layers that a shell must attempt to penetrate before being able to deal damage to the tank itself. All tanks have some form of spaced armor, usually on the gun mantlet or tracks. The spaced armor on the sides of the Churchill III help protect its hull with proper angling.
What does slat armor do?
Slat armor (or slat armour, in British English), also known as bar armor, cage armor, and standoff armor, is a type of vehicle armor designed to protect against high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) attacks, as used by rocket-propelled grenades (RPG).
Why did they put logs on the side of tanks?
Logs were another improvised armor added to tanks during WWII. However, they could also be removed from the tank and placed under the tracks in boggy terrain for additional traction. In fact, many Soviet tanks left the factory with logs mounted for this reason. As armor, however, logs did not offer much protection.
Why didn’t the tiger have sloped armor?
There was not much space to move this equipment back to allow for a sloped front. Also the space above the tracks (sponsons) were used to store ammunition in. The number of rounds the Tiger could carry would have been severely reduced by sloping the sides. sloped armor changes the center of gravity.
How does NERA armor work?
Non-Explosive Reactive Armor (NERA or NxRA) uses passive material, such as rubber, sandwiched between two metal plates. The loads from NERA inflicted on the vehicle’s structure are much smaller than ERA, and therefore can be applied to lighter vehicles.
Why are Russians putting cages on top of their tanks?
The Russian forces seemed to be adding make-shift metal cages to the tops of their tanks in an apparent attempt to defend against Javelin and other anti-tank missiles. According to Ukraine-based media Kyiv Independent, Russia has lost about 700 tanks in Ukraine as of 8 April 2022.